Category: In Reading Color

This award-winning book follows Baxter, not George, as he attends a sleeping car as a porter. It’s 1929, and Baxter knows that if he wants to go to dentistry school, he’ll have to grin and bear the indignity of white passengers calling him George and other indignities. When a mudslide strands the train, Baxter’s sleep deprived hallucinations, the passengers’ spilled secrets, and Baxter’s repressed sexuality all mix together and descend on him.

Shiino and Mariko have been friends since they were kids, so when Mariko suddenly dies, Shiino is devastated and becomes determined to find out why Mariko left her. What follows is a story of grief, abuse, and the legacy of an enduring friendship.

Ifeakandu’s collection of nine stories takes its title from a story that made it on to the Caine Prize shortlist. Each tale adds a nuanced and compassionate perspective to queer, African narratives. In the first story, Auwal tries to get help with money troubles from his lover, Chief Emeka, even though he’s not sure he can fully trust him. In the title story, two boys in college hang on to their romance, even as the pressures of societal expectations threatens it. Throughout, characters experience joy and passion, even as they very carefully navigate danger, and Ifeakandu is good at putting readers in the minds of his queer characters in a modern-day Nigeria.

In this slow burn romance, Tara and Sameen find each other in the busy city of Delhi, India. After a fling, Tar swears off relationships, especially since her coming out as lesbian wouldn’t be received too well in her community. One day during a monsoon, she meets Sameen, a bubbly ray of sunshine, and starts feeling differently about everything. But she also figures that Sameen is probably straight. Regardless of her cynicism, the universe keeps throwing the two together, which results in a well-written modern romance set in India.

This book is a natural place to start, especially since it came out about a month before Juneteenth became a federal holiday. In it, Reed details the history of Juneteenth — what led up to it and what came after. I love it when historical topics get a more personal treatment, and here, Reed includes her personal ties to the holiday as a native Texan. She reckons with the white male identity that a lot of Texas projects to the rest of the country, showing instead how diverse the state is and how much non white men have contributed to its — and the rest of America’s — history.

This YA novel just gives. It’s a historical romance set in the early 1900s, not too long after Juneteenth. It’s centered around the Davenports, a wealthy Black family in Chicago whose fortune was made by William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who became an entrepreneur. Amongst the lavish parties, servants, lush surroundings, and societal expectations sit the Davenport siblings and their friends — all seeking out love, forbidden and not. Beautiful Olivia is the oldest and prepared to get married for the family, but then meets a charming civil rights leader. Then there’s Helen, who likes fixing cars and her sister’s suitor. Amy-Rose and Ruby are both friends of the Davenport girls, and both have a crush on John Davenport. This is fun, historical mess that’s based on the real Patterson family, and shows a time in Black history that I always want to see more of.

Bring in the kiddos for this one — or just yourself if you’re like me and like to read children’s nonfiction for the occasional quick summary on certain topics. Growing up, Opal Lee always looked forward to the Juneteenth picnic. As a resident of Texas, she knew the significance of the holiday and had friends and family members who had been directly impacted by it. When she was 12, an angry white mob came and burned down her house. The day it happened was June 19, 1939. Juneteenth. From that point on, she knew she wanted to bring more awareness to the holiday so that people wouldn’t forget all the struggle it had entailed. She advocated for years, organizing marches that covered 2.5 miles — which represented the time it took for news of freedom to reach Galveston, TX. And in 2021, when she was 94, she got to see Juneteenth made into a federal holiday. *happy tears*

This queer romance has a dual timeline, which travels back and forth between now and high school for Quito Cruz. Before becoming the New York City composer and piano player he is now, Quito was a gifted high schooler who got bullied for being gay. Once he joined his father’s choir class, he realized his talent for music and began giving popular jock Emmett Aoki singing lessons. The boys became friends and then secretly more, but this intimacy wasn’t carried over into adulthood. In the present day, Quito’s father has announced his retirement and expects Quito to get Emmett — who is now an action movie star — to perform at a fundraising concert. We follow along as the two slowly restart their romance, and as Quito experiences some self-discovery.

Roxane Gay, who is fairly active on Goodreads, is one of the few people whose book recs I will follow to the ends of the earth, and And Then He Sang a Lullaby is the first release from her imprint. Ani Kayode Somtochukwu is a Nigerian queer activist, and with this debut, explores the lives of queer men in a deeply homophobic country. When track star August leaves home to go to college, he seems to be doing pretty well initially. His grades are decent, he’s making friends, and there’s a girl that might become his girlfriend. But his thoughts constantly go to Segun, an openly gay student who works nearby. As the two become closer, Segun wants more than ever to be loved openly, while August’s true self remains guarded and hidden from the violence that surrounds them.

This is a modernized, graphic novel retelling of thee original vampire story Carmilla — which preceded Bram Stoker’s by 26 years. It’s the ’90s in New York City and Athena, an idealistic social worker, starts investigating the deaths of houseless women who the police don’t seem interested in. After she’s led to a nightclub being ran by a mysterious presence, she becomes intimately involved in the case in a way that could mean her end. This is part retelling, and part historical snapshot of the ’90s, with Chinese folklore deftly woven in.

The Sea Elephants has been compared to Shuggie Bain and A Burning, and is set in India in the 1990s. After his twin sisters die, Shagun escapes a grief-stricken home and an intolerant and abusive father by attending an all-boys boarding school, but he suffers abuse there as well. Luckily, he comes across a traveling theatre troupe, and it’s among its members that he feels he finally, truly belongs. As he travels with the troupe, he finds that he’s a natural storyteller, telling the stories of the Hindu myths of his childhood with ease. It’s also with the troupe he meets the photographer Marc and falls in love. But his past starts to bubble up and threaten the life he’s built for himself.

It was this book, out today, by award-winning Sonora Reyes, that made me think to speak a little on revenge-centered books. In this YA novel, an autistic teen with selective mutism, Ariana Ruiz, hopes to be noticed by her classmates in a positive way for her fire fashion choices. Instead, she gets noticed by the popular Luis Ortega, who takes advantage of her at a party. As she’s still reeling from what happened, the gossipmongers among her classmates get hold of the “hookup” and the story spreads. Then a mysterious little note turns up in her locker that leads her to meeting other students who’ve had similar experiences with Luis. It’s through this group that Ari finds friendship, romance, and a chance for the takedown of raggedy ass Luis.

This revenge tale is more thriller and follows freshman Chloe, whose pastimes are yogalates and plotting out the murder of Will Bachman. You see, Chloe is a psychopath and Will wronged her back in the day. She’s also part of a group of students — other psychopaths — who are in an experimental psychological study at a school in D.C. As part of the study, led by a well-known psychologist, she and the other students must wear watches that keep track of their moods. But then one of her fellow test subjects turns up dead, and Chloe has to sideline her murderous scheming to avoid being next.

This is a one-shot manga, which means its entire story is within this one book. Two girls inspire each other, at first from a distance, to become better manga artists. As they grow up, they begin working together and are friends until a tragedy changes everything.

Y’all. This is so darn cute. I can’t. I couldn’t. But actually, I did. It’s about Riko, a 29-year old who is all work when in the office, but a hardcore gamer at home. She surprises even herself when she agrees to take home a kitten found in the office’s parking lot, and obviously adorable kitten hijinks ensues.

This is a real short one at only 56 pages. It’s YA comic about two teen Indigenous girls, Miikwan who is Anishinaabe, and Dez who is Inninew. As they prepare a school project that will showcase how they completed their Berry Fast together, Dez disappears. But they live in a country where Indigenous girls and women go and stay missing too often.

I started this one mad long ago, but didn’t finish it for some reason. It follows four Bronx homegirls through simple, daily life stuff (like getting your hair done) and personal struggles. It’s an intimate and familiar look at Black and Latine women’s lives and friendships, and the dialogue was way too real.

This one I’ve started before and never finished. Until this weekend! Abbott is a Black female reporter in ’70s Detroit who starts investigating a series of grotesque killings that she just knows are connected somehow. It low-key gives Lovecraft Country vibes and the dialogue and discrimination Abbott faced felt very true to the times.

This one is just out today.

In this memoir, Ng writes of the consequences of the Exclusion Act, under which her Chinese family was suffocated. Ng came of age as the child of a seamstress mother, a sailor father, and the Orphan Bachelors of San Francisco’s Chinatown — men who were the walking embodiments of the Exclusion act. As a result of the legislation, they were unable to wed or have children, and so Ng and her siblings, and other children, became their adopted progeny. In Orphan Bachelors, Ng returns home to write the story of her ancestors who sacrificed so much.

Daiyu’s name carries with it the tragic story of a heroine who is beautiful but cursed to be heartbroken. She starts to inhabit this narrative once her parents disappear from their small, quiet village in China, and Daiyu must flee to a calligraphy school where she is safe, for a time. She ends up becoming a victim of human trafficking and smuggled to a brothel in San Francisco, CA. She escapes and makes it to Idaho, where she begins work at a Chinese owned general store. Throughout, Daiyu always seems to narrowly escape a dark fate that seems to be chasing her, until it must be faced head on. The Exclusion Act and its anti Chinese sentiments looms over the entirety of this novel, which culminates in terrible violence.

It’s 1890 in Atlanta, GA and Jo Kuan is 17 trying her best to survive. She gets paid a measly .50 cents a day as a milliner’s assistant, which isn’t enough to buy her guardian, Old Gin, needed medicine. On top of that, she and Old Gin live in the basement of a print shop, a place that used to be a spot for abolitionists to hide. Well, bad goes to worse when she’s fired by her boss for being too “saucy” according to customers — I’m paraphrasing here, but essentially customers were complaining because she’s Chinese. In desperation, she takes back her old job as a lady’s maid to the wealthy and cruel Caroline. One day she gets the idea to write a column as an “agony aunt,” and goes by the name Miss Sweetie. As Sweetie, she voices her thoughts on society’s many cruelties and injustices, which grows the newspaper’s subscriptions her column is being printed in, but also makes many question her true identity. As she continues writing her column, she learns more about her parents but also crosses paths with one of the city’s most well-known criminals.

The bestselling author of Cutting for Stone is back with a family saga spanning more than 70 years. The story of a girl who would come to be known as Big Ammachi — which essentially translates to “Big Momma” — twists and turns, intertwining as the waterways that her and her would-be family live by in Southern India. Big Ammachi’s family, part of a Christian community with a long history, will be as gifted as they are cursed, with the curious incidence of drowning being a common theme reoccurring through the generations. Starting in 1900, we experience the change and advancements time brings as Big Ammachi experiences them.

Just a little while longer until this one’s out. Kuang only writes bangers, and in this one, June witnesses the death of Athena Liu — who just finished a novel that promises to be a masterpiece about Chinese laborers’ contributions to the Allied forces during WWI. She decides to take her manuscript and claims the story as her own. To take full advantage (because, you know, stealing someone’s book wasn’t enough), she also lets her publisher rebrand her with an Asian-sounding name and an author photo of someone who is racially ambiguous. The book is successful, but June can’t shake the feeling that it could all come tumbling down, and that the truth of Athena is about to be exposed.

In this second chance romance, Jana is set to attend a destination wedding in Tanzania, and ready for the reset it’s sure to provide. But then she funds out her ex, and child’s father, Anil will also be there, and suddenly her plans are ruined. Even though he’s a good father, she can’t forgive him for what he did years ago. To distract herself, and show that she’s not sweating him, she comes up with list to get her juices flowing. She’ll perform karaoke, do dance routines for strangers, and generally let her guard down. But that makes her more susceptible to her still-lingering attraction to Anil.

That cover! While this one is on the newer side, it’s less new than others on this list. This is because there is a dearth of books being released by Native Pacific Islanders, which is, no doubt, a result of fewer opportunities. It’s also a great example of why we still need things like AAPI History Month and other heritage months. Make sure to also check out Navigating CHamoru Poetry by Craig Santos Perez and Ka Mano Wai: The Source of Life by Noreen Mokuau for more Native Pacific Islander writing.

As for this book, I will warn you that this standalone, YA fantasy is a plague story. It’s the Black Plague, though! Lord Cassia is a young nobleman who comes to be imprisoned by the enemy because of said plague. He eventually gets out and returns to a home that has changed in many ways. For one, his castle now houses the royal court. Secondly, it seems like they brought their raggedy enemies with them. There’s an assassin on the loose who seems to be targeting those close to Queen Jehan, so Cassia teams up with the king’s younger sister, aspiring historian Lena, to uncover their identity. And Cassia can also see ghosts, so there’s that.

This collection of poems is a landmark literary work by a person from the O’odham Nation. Zepeda tells her story as a Tohono O’odham woman, speaking on the traditional ways as well as how these traditions have influenced modern-day experiences. Through her poems, we see how human nature both ebbs and flows, with the rhythm of the changing seasons, and how it is both nourishing and destructive, like the ocean.

Diaz won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for this collection. In it, she visits the violences committed against different bodies in the quest for colonialism — human bodies of color as well as various natural bodies, like land and rivers — and reimagines them. From their wounds, she writes in blossoming love and affection; grief and violence turn into joy and pleasure.

Nominated for the National Book Award for Poetry, Golden Ax contains both the past and the present. Cortez tells the story of how her Black ancestors settled the Western United States, showing, in turn, their relationship with the land. Following their trajectory of survival, she also imagines what the future will look like.

Limon is a multi award-nominated poet who is currently serving as the U.S. Poet Laureate. In her latest collection, Limón looks at the four seasons and writes joy into the interconnectedness of all beings, giving equal importance to the journey of a garden groundhog as she does human beings.